2014 Louisiana Statewide Transportation Plan Update
Everyone in Louisiana relies on transportation. Whether it is to move products to market, to fly into a city to attend a conference, to travel to work, or ride a bike to a park, transportation is involved. In the next 30 years, Louisiana's economic health and quality of life may be at risk because of transportation funding challenges. Costs of providing infrastructure and services are up, but revenue is down. Maintaining what already exists continues to take a larger portion of available funds, leaving limited opportunities for addressing other significant transportation needs. This situation calls for a comprehensive look at how transportation can best address Louisiana's needs in the long-term under the influence of the current economic climate. In short, what type of transportation investments will best serve Louisiana?
Previous 2003 and 2008 Statewide Transportation Plans
In December 2003 the Louisiana Statewide Transportation Plan completed by the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) was adopted by the Louisiana Investment in Infrastructure for Economic Prosperity (LIIEP) Commission. The Plan, which included extensive participation and input from agencies and major stakeholders throughout the state, addressed multimodal transportation needs within the context of a growing economy. A few years later, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita redefined needs. As a result, a Review and Status report was completed in 2008 that considered the impacts of the storms and reported on the implementation status and updated construction costs of the 2003 Plan recommendations.
2013 Statewide Transportation Plan Update
Since then, Louisiana, as well as the rest of the United States, has felt the consequences of the economic recession and limited transportation funding. It is time for a full update of the transportation plan to determine the most appropriate transportation investments and policies for Louisiana.
An overview of the plan and how public involvement activities are reflected in general are described in the plan overview. Additional details on public involvement are provided in the next section.
Plan Status
The Plan Update team has completed the existing conditions analysis, needs assessment, and financial analysis for the statewide transportation plan and is drafting the final plan. The eight Advisory Councils have met three times and submitted their recommendations and prioritized megaprojects to the Policy Committee for their approval. The Policy Committee met in March and April 2014 and plan to meet again in May 2014. The Plan is to be completed and available for public review in late-Summer 2014.
Plan Public Involvement ActivitiesThe Plan's Public Involvement Plan provides the framework for obtaining input and providing information to the stakeholders and general public.
Visioning Workshop - A Visioning Workshop was held in November 2012 to craft a draft vision, goals and objectives to be reviewed in the first Round Of Advisory Council meetings held in March 2013.
Round One Advisory Council Meetings – Each of the eight Advisory Councils met during the period March 20-21, 2013 to learn about the Plan Update and to discuss specific issues relative to policy recommendations and transportation investments. More information about these meetings is available at Round One Advisory Council meetings.
Round Two Advisory Council Meetings – Each of the eight Advisory Councils met during the period October 1-2, 2013 to learn about the status of the Plan update; review previous issues and discuss newly proposed issues regarding each mode; and discuss policy recommendations. More information about these meetings is available at Round Two Advisory Council Meetings.
Round Three Advisory Council Meetings – Each of the eight Advisory Councils met during the period January 22-23, 2014 to learn about the status of the Plan, discuss revenue scenarios, review and finalize the policy recommendations, and discuss Plan implementation. More information about these meetings is available at Round Three Advisory Council Meetings.
Executive AC Workshop – The Executive Advisory Council met on March 11, 2014 to finalize the recommendations, megaprojects and DOTD budget for Policy Committee review. More information about this workshop is available at Executive AC Workshop.
Policy Committee Meetings – The Policy Committee serves as the final decision-making body for the update of the Louisiana Statewide Transportation Plan. More information about these meetings is available at Policy Committee Meetings.
Interim Plan Documents
As Plan documents are prepared they will be posted here for review. To date, these include:
Surveys
Visioning Workshop
How to Participate/Contact Us
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- If you want to offer any comments on the Plan process, interim posted documents or on the draft Plan when it is included on the website, click here.